Credit: Greger Ravik (CC BY 2.0)

A 15-page charge sheet dated 4 July was made public on Monday. Mr Duterte has been held at The Hague since March, when Philippine police arrested him on an ICC warrant.

Court documents accuse him of “instructing and authorizing violent acts including murder” as part of the anti-drug campaign that killed thousands of suspected dealers and users, drawing condemnation from world leaders, the UN and human rights groups.

Prosecutors allege many killings were carried out by the so-called “Davao Death Squad”, named after Mr Duterte’s hometown where he served as mayor before becoming president. The case focuses on three periods: 19 murders in Davao City between 2013 and 2016; 14 killings of “high-value targets” in 2016 and 2017; and 43 murders or attempted murders of lower-level suspects in Manila from 2016 to 2018. Hitmen were allegedly paid between $875 and $17,000 for each high-value killing.

Duterte’s next court appearance was postponed as prosecutors assess whether he is fit to hear charges, though he attended his initial hearing by video link.

His lawyer, British-Israeli attorney Nicholas Kaufman, has called for the case to be dismissed, arguing the ICC lacks jurisdiction since the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 and that his arrest bypassed due process.

The ICC insists it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed before withdrawal and that Mr Duterte’s arrest was properly coordinated.